A witness has given a detailed account to the inquest into the death of Rex Masai, describing how gunfire broke out during protests in Nairobi’s city centre, moments before Rex appeared injured and struggled to move away from the scene.
George Ndikas, who was with Rex during the June 20, 2024 demonstrations, told Senior Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsaringo that the situation changed quickly when shots were fired, causing confusion and a sudden rush by protesters to escape.
He explained that the group had been gathered in the city centre when the sound of gunfire prompted people to disperse in different directions.
“The people moved to the other side because of gunshots,” he told the court.
Ndikas said that as they moved away from the direction of the gunfire, he noticed Rex’s movement slow down and change, indicating that something was wrong.
He told the court that a video shown during the hearing captured a moment when an individual appeared to fire at protesters. Ndikas said he was able to recognize both himself and Rex in the footage.
He added that by the time the man in the video was seen firing, many protesters had already turned and started running away, while Rex seemed to be struggling to keep up.
“Rex was leaving because he was shot,” he said, repeating what he had previously stated in court.
Ndikas further told the court that he heard several gunshots during the incident and believes one of them may have hit Rex.
“I heard about three gunshot sounds. There is a possibility one of the gunshots may have caught Rex Masai,” he said, while under cross examination.
He maintained that Rex only began limping after the gunshots were heard, explaining that the direction of movement among protesters changed as they tried to escape the source of the gunfire.
During cross-examination by counsel from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ndikas stood by his earlier statement that Rex’s condition changed after the shooting began and that they were running away from where the shots were coming from when he noticed Rex was injured.
The inquest also heard expert medical evidence from government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor, who carried out a postmortem on Rex’s body at Nairobi Funeral Home on June 21, 2024.
Oduor informed the court that Rex’s death resulted from haemorrhage linked to a single gunshot wound located on the left thigh.
"He was pale, a sign usually seen in people who have lost a lot of blood; his sockets were sunken, with no other injuries," he submitted.
He explained that the bullet entered through the back of the thigh and exited through the front, leading to heavy bleeding that caused death.
"I concluded what led to his death was haemorrhage, which was bleeding caused by a single gunshot wound to left thigh," he said.
The pathologist added that no other physical injuries were found and that internal examination showed significant bleeding within the muscle tissue of the thigh.
The court continues to hear evidence as it works to determine the exact events that led to the death of Rex Masai during the anti-finance bill protests in Nairobi.
